The Perfect Baked Tofu and a TV Marathon

Good evening everyone!

 

Today was sooo relaxing.  After my morning post, Future Husband gave me some acupuncture, and then he gave me a Tui Na massage.   Tui Na is an ancient Chinese massage technique that's been around for over 2,000 years.  Tui Na massage removes blockages along the meridians of the body and stimulates the flow of qi and blood to promote healing.

 

Lunch

 

After my massage, I had a little snack... a nice, juicy peach.

Future Husband and I watched the University of Miami game (which was sooo exciting, but disappointing).  Around half-time, I made us lunch.  Although baked tofu isn't exactly the ideal football food, I think I may have perfected my recipe!

The Perfect Baked Tofu

 

Ingredients (for two portions):

 

• 2/3 block extra firm tofu
• 2 tablespoons EVOO
• 2 tablespoons honey
• 1/2 tablespoon chili powder
• 1/2 tablespoon black pepper
• 1 teaspoon paprika
• 1 tablespoon sesame seeds

 

Preparation:

 

• Pre-heat oven to 375 degrees.
• Press excess liquid from tofu.  Wrap several paper towels around tofu, and place tofu in between two plates.  Let stand for 15 minutes.
• Cut tofu in 1 inch by 1 inch pieces.
• In a small, microwave-safe bowl, mix EVOO, honey, chili powder, black pepper, and paprika.
• Microwave marinade for 35 seconds and stir thoroughly.
• Spray cooking sheet.
• Coat each piece of tofu in marinade and place on cooking sheet.
• Sprinkle sesame seeds on top of tofu.
• Cook at 375 for 30 minutes, turning once. 
• Viola! Enjoy!

 

We enjoyed our baked tofu with a portion of Kashi Pilaf and steamed veggies.  It was delicious!

After lunch, Future Husband and I went to the dog park and tossed around a football.  The doggies enjoyed playing with all the other poochies. :)

 

I had a Larabar sample before we left.  The Pecan Pie flavor was delicious!  These 100 calorie packs are perfect for snacking.

 

Dinner

 

We were too pooped to do anything complicated for dinner.  We both were hankering for soup and sammies.  I made tiny grilled cheese sandwiches, Pacific Natural Foods Organic Roasted Red Pepper and Tomato soup, and a nice big salad.

The little sammies tasted lovely dipped in the soup! Yum!

Annnnd.... although I've had desert two days in a row already, I will probably be eating at least half of a chocolate bar later.  I actually just calculated my calories burned/calories eaten to make sure I have ate enough today, and I need a few more.  So... why not fill up my deficit with chocolate? :)

Tonight we're going to watch a million episodes of Heroes, the Sex and the City movie, and Thursday's episode of Grey's Anatomy. That's approximately 10 hours of TV, so we better get started. :)

 

Have a wonderful night!

Miracle Miles 15K

What a PERFECT race!!

I BLASTED across the finish line at 1 hour, 27 minutes, and 15 seconds, SMOKING my time at last year's race by over 4 minutes!  AND, I'm even MORE excited to report that my leg did not bother me AT ALL! Yayyyyyy!

 

You can read Meghann's recap on her blog--I don't want to spoil all the surprises, but let's just say she ran an AMAZING first 15K and I am super proud!

To summarize, the KEY DIFFERENCES for this year's race were:

 

• It was a calm and balmy 70 degrees--not 90 and humid.
• I am much better conditioned and actually ran miles  6 to 9 in 8:30 minutes each, which is my fastest outdoor mile EVER!
• No medics had to make me breathe into a paper bag after I crossed the finish line (yes, I hyperventilated last year).  I actually felt like I wanted to keep running at the end! :)
• I've learned enough about running to realize I needed a mid-race snack.  This definitely kept my energy UP and allowed me to FINISH STRONG.

 

But, let's start at the beginning....

 

My pre-race breakfast consisted of oatmeal + a sliced banana.  I added a 1/2 tablespoon of PB for some protein.  I also drank a coffee + water.

I was really nervous and a little sleepy (it was only 5 AM!), so I only ate about 2/3.

 

It was so wonderful of Future Husband to wake up early with me and go to the race.  He is so supportive.  :)  He wins Best Future Husband Award!

We met up with Meghann and her dad and took a few pre-race pictures.  Meghann and I stretched out, and I tried to not feel too nervous about my leg.  I just didn't know how it was going to go, so I told myself that it would be OK if I had to drop out due to pain.  That made me feel a little better.

The Race!

 

Meghann and I agreed to pace with each other for the first few miles.  It was a large race and took a while to actually get past the starting line, so our official chip times were 1 minute behind the clock time.

 

We ran the mile 1.0 in 10 minutes and paced the next 3.0 miles in 10 minutes as well.  We smoked mile 5.0 in 9:30 minutes.  That's when I decided to eat my mid-race snack.....

GUMMI BEARS!  Yes, gummi bears! I read on another blog that gummi bears were the perfect "poor man's" mid-race snack, and I must say--they were ideal!  I sealed about 150 calories worth in a plastic bag using a lighter and safety pinned it to the inside of my shorts. 

 

I felt the simple sugars kick in around mile 6.0, which we clocked in at 59:00 minutes exactly.

 

At this point, I really wanted to kick it up a notch and started to HAUL BUTT.  Meghann stayed with me for a little bit, but then we separated.  I ran the next three miles in 8:30 minutes and felt like I was FLYYYYYING!  I knew my goal time (1 hr, 26 minutes) was SO CLOSE, and I really wanted to make it!

 

Suddenly, I heard a volunteer scream, "Only 0.10 mile to go!" and started to SPRINT.  Future Husband was yelling from the sidelines, "GO KATIE, GO!" and it definitely motivated me! 

 

I got my medal (yayyy) and waited for Meghann to finish.  She came in really strong, too! Check out the action shot:

Post-Race Fun

 

Since this is such a large regional race, there were tons of post-run festivities, like a kid's race, face painting, clowns.... but most importantly, there was FREE FOOD! 

First, I hit up the fruit spread and grabbed watermelon and orange slices.

The race was sponsored by Chick-fil-a, so I also had a free fried chicken sammie (which was a-maz-ing post-race fuel!).

And I grabbed TONS of free Larabar and Kashi samples.  Yippeee!

 

Official Statistics

 

Here are my stats from my heart rate monitor and my chip device:

 

• Chip Time: 1 hour, 27 minutes, 15 seconds
• Heart Rate Monitor Time: 1 hour, 27 minutes, 16 seconds
• Average Heart Rate: 169 bpm
• Maximum Heart Rate: 206 bpm
• Calories Burned: 812

 

All in all, it was a GREAT RACE and I'm proud of myself for improving on last year's time.  Now, I'm really looking forward to next weekend's half marathon!  Bring it on! :)

Pre-Race Date Night

Future Husband and I had a lovely 'date night' tonight.  In between the craziness of work, school, and life.... sometimes we forget to spend time together! :)

 

We went to Spice, which was lovely... we're thinking about hosting our rehearsal dinner there now, too!  We ate out on the patio overlooking downtown Orlando. I started my meal off with a BIG GLASS OF WATER (no booze before the race!) and a yummy WW roll.

I think we can all agree restaurant bread is the BEST KIND! :)

 

I also had a baby greens salad, which included grapes, feta cheese, candied pecans, and green apples.  I had a nice vinaigrette on the side.

And for my main course---PASTA, of course! The perfect pre-race dinner!  I had mushroom and spinach ravioli.  It was pretty good.

After our main course, Future Husband announced he "had" to have dessert.  I wasn't going to eat any until I saw this:

Ummm, HELLO!? This bride does not say "no" to chocolate cake.  It was heavenly.  I could literally smell the chocolate wafting up from me.  I ate about 1/3.

 

When we got home, I laid out all my running clothes for tomorrow's big 15K race and called Meghann to discuss the logistics for meeting up in the morning.  I'm excited to have a racing buddy!

I am super excited and very optimistic that my leg will hold up! I'm going to heat (yes... heat... not ice. Icing has made this injury feel worse, oddly enough) it a little in the morning.  I think I'm good to go, honestly! :) :) :)

 

For The Record....

 

Around 2:30, I ate a Larabar Ginger Snap while reading over some landscape plans...

I also had a not-yet-ripe peach....

And, around 6 PM, I had a handful of peanuts to hold me over until dinner.

 

OK -- off to bed! I'm waking up at 5:15, having a BIG BOWL OF OATMEAL, and stretching out before I leave for the race! Wish me luck! :) I'll be thinking of all of you!!

 

1 hour, 26 minutes or better... HERE I COME!!!

Healthy Hamburger Helper and Tips for Tapering

Good afternoon! My work day is flying by, so I've got to make my lunch break QUICK and get back to the grind!

 

Around 11:30, I had a small plum in my favorite dish.

My lunch was a spur-of-the-moment recipe that tasted QUITE familiar--in fact, I'm going to call this Healthy Hamburger Helper!

I simply combined 1/2 cup of cooked Kashi Pilaf with 1/2 cup of Morning Star Meal Starter on the stovetop.  Once it was heated, I added pepper and grated 0.5 ounce of cheddar cheese on top.

It was SO delicious! I think a man would really like this meal, too.  I bet you could tell most guys it was actually hamburger and they wouldn't be able to tell the difference. :)

 

On the side, I had some wonderful steamed broc.

I'm getting pretty pumped for my race! I might go to the gym later to do some arms and light cardio, but today is a BIG TAPER day (and I don't want to push my luck with my leg), so I won't be running!

 

What is "Tapering," Anyways?

 

Tapering is the act of drastically reducing or halting running immediately prior to a race.  Tapering allows your muscles to heal and you glycogen stores to be replenished.  There is a great deal of evidence that tapering makes you  more efficient on race day.

 

Caitlin's Tips for Tapering

 

• Taper for two days for a 5K to 5-mile race; taper for three to five days for a 10K to a half-marathon. 
• During the taper period, you should replace your normal runs with cross-training (swimming, bicycling, etc.).  The intensity of cross-training should also be reduced in comparison to your running intensity.
• If you chose to run during the taper period, decrease the distance and duration of your average run by about half .  Although you are running shorter distances than you're accustomed to during the taper period, try to maintain your "race day" pace -- don't go too fast!
• Your last 'long run' day should be a minimum of 1 week prior to the race.
• Take the day before the race OFF from running entirely. 

99 Days

Tomorrow is RACE DAY! I am so excited for the 15K! It's looking like it's going to be perfect Florida "fall" weather for it, too.

It's a little crisp out right now and there's no humidity.  Hopefully, it will be like this tomorrow when I'm pounding out 9.3 miles as fast as I can! :)

 

I woke up later than usual due to last night's shenanigans and I immediately dove for the coffee.

A lot of runners try to "carb load" the dinner before a big race, but really--you should eat only slightly larger portions than usual AND you should try to get a higher % of carbs in all day. On that note, I had a big bowl of oatmeal this morning. :)

My oatmeal contained:

 

• 1/2 cup oatmeal
• 1/2 cup water
• 1/2 cup milk
• 1 large sliced banana
• Toppings: sprinkle of brown sugar and 2 tablespoons trail mix

 

On A Side Note....

 

We're getting married in 99 days!

We're getting married in 99 days!

We're getting married in 99 days!

:)

 

And For My Fellow Lovers of Indulgent Pop Music...

 

Britney's new single has been officially released! You can listen to it here; it's not available yet for purchase of iTunes.

VIP

I sure felt like a VIP at dinner tonight! For Jenna's farewell dinner, we went to her old place of employment--which happens to be this AMAZING Hawaiian Fusion restaurant called Roy's.  All the managers came over to say hello and the waiters treated us SO well.  They even decorated our table!

Me, Meghann, Jenna, and Jenna's roommate, Helen (who was super nice!) Look--our table was even decorated!

 

But -- before dinner, I squeezed in a nice, long bike ride!  And I am VERY happy to report that my leg did not bother me at all! Thank goodness... I'm hoping this is just a short-term quirk and not a serious injury!  Also, I want to say I REALLY appreciate everyone's kind words SO much.  Your encouragement and/or advice means a lot!

 

Here are my bike ride statistics:

 

• Duration: 40  minutes, 7.4 miles.
• Average Heart Rate: 138
• Maximum Heart Rate: 175
• Calories Burned: 250

 

My mid-day/pre-workout snack consisted of a pear and a tablespoon of PB....

And when I came home from my ride, I had 1 cup of skim milk with 1/2 scoop of Muscle Milk Light.  I was kind of in a rush, so I drank it while getting ready for dinner!

Alright... on to the GOOD STUFF!

 

Dinner at Roy's

 

I was a little late (as usual) and I met up with the girls at the bar.  I tried some of their appetizer (a cheese and beef ravioli??--it was divine!) and ordered a glass of Riesling.

After a little bit of drinking + chatting, we got seated at our special table and discovered THIS in our menus:

Jenna just finished pastry chef school, so this was quite fitting!

Then, we got TONS of appetizers.  I had a little bit of everything...

Clockwise from the top... Island Style Ahi Tuna with Poke Baby Greens, Sticky Rice, Truffled Soy, and Inamona Jus; Crispy “Kung Pao” Calamari; and Curry Seafood Raviolis.  The calamari was the BEST--I went back for seconds, and I don't even LIKE calamari!

A second glass of wine (pinot noir), which I drank 1/2 of.  I decided boozin' on a work night wasn't a great idea!

 

I knew we were going to get loads of desserts, and I was already feeling pretty full.... so I had a dinner salad as my entree.

The Maui Wowie Shrimp Salad included yummy shrimp, capers, sweet onions, crumbled feta cheese, and a caper lime vinaigrette.

 

And.... then... DESSERT STRUCK.  Roy's has amazing desserts.  We split three of the best ones:

 

The Signature Melting Hot Chocolate Soufflé (which was as yummy as it sounds)....

A Pineapple Upside Down Cake (which was my favorite)...

And a Peanut Butter Pie (also delicious!)...

Jenna, I'll miss you! I promise to come visit you in Vero AND Tampa!!

 

Good night, everyone! Sleep time. I'm now going to lay down in a food-induced coma and pass out.

Solution!

I'm going to heed your advice (and my own common sense) and take another day off from running.... yes, that's two days without running in a row. Maybe some people can't understand this, but to me--two days without running is like torture.

 

Even though I'm going to lay off my favorite high impact workout for the day, I'm still going to get my sweat in.  Because, let's face it, it's highly likely I'm going stuff my face with Roy's signature dessert--Melting Hot Chocolate Soufflé--at dinner tonight. And it will be that much more enjoyable if I get a work out in beforehand. :) 

 

My solution:

Um, I totally forgot I own a bicycle! Seriously.  I haven't ridden in months! But, right now, biking seems like the perfect solution.  I can't wait! :)

 

Lunch

 

The combination of BBQ and sweet potato is just so amazing.  For lunch, I made a baked tofu + 1/2 sweet potato + Anne's BBQ sauce sammie on WW bread.

Who says sweet potato has to be relegated to a side dish!? It's the perfect ingredient in wraps or sandwiches!

And for a little CRUNCH and VITAMINS on the side, I had two carrots and a plum tomato.

 

Mid-Morning Snack

 

Around 10:30, I had a juicy cantaloupe and 1/4 cup of cottage cheese. 

Another fabulous food combo!

 

Back to the grind!